Research has shown again and again that students benefit greatly from participating in project-based learning. Projects help students encode important in formation through episodic memory rather than semantic memory. Projects also help students develop important fusion skills such as communication, collaboration, and creative problem solving. Yet while all this is known, many teachers are reluctant to embark on long-term creative projects with students. These projects may be difficult to plan, but they are even more difficult to execute in a way that ensures positive learning outcomes. Providing frequent, meaningful feedback during the execution is a critical element in their success.

Many organizations provide excellent supports for planning a project. These resources help teachers create a context in which students can learn through work on projects. These organizations usually also provide ideas and venues for showcasing and assessing student projects once they are completed. However, supports and frameworks for the time when students are actually engaged in the project are lacking.

This presentation outlines a clear method for providing formative assessment to students engaged in a long-term project that helps ensure positive learning outcomes related to the content of the project while scaffolding the development of 21st Century fusion skills.

First, students and teachers collaborate to set quality standards for the projects as well as acceptable procedures for ensuring accountability and amiable conflict resolution. Then the teacher creates a schedule to meet with student teams on a rotating basis. During the meeting, the teacher reviews the project in consultation with the students. Using a modified version of the Wise feedback framework, the teacher reminds students of the high quality standards they have set for themselves. Then the teacher and students determine if any parts of the project might not be up to standard. Next the teacher and the students determine next steps for correcting any issues and continuing to make progress. Finally, the team takes a moment to address any conflicts that may exist between members and look for resolutions or compromises.

At each meeting, the teacher records the feedback, the proposed corrective action, and available resources and supports in a shared document (which may be online). Students are encouraged to reference the document and respond to the feedback as they work on the project, making them agents in the process and helping them develop self-advocacy skills. The document becomes a record of the progress on the project and the growth of the students.

Research on the Wise feedback model indicates that students are more likely to revise and improve their work with this particular model than with other feedback models. The model also creates a trusting relationship between teachers and students, where students can connect teacher comments and suggestions to their learning and growth. Coupled with the regular schedule of meetings, this feedback framework reduces the possibility of ending with a low quality project and little student growth after dedicating a substantial amount of time to the project’s execution.

Keywords: Feedback, collaboration, project-based learning, assessment.